Valve for suction socket prosthesis



Oct. 2, 1951 J, w WHITE ETAL 2,569,790

VALVE FOR SUCTION SOCKET PROSTHESIS Filed June 30, 1950 www Patented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT` QF F ICE VALVEFORiSUCTION SOCKETPROSTHESIS'Y John William White, Los Angeles, and JohnJ.. Vollmer; San' Fernando, Cali; said'Vllmer'. assignorto said White Application'JuneSO, 1950, Serial No.\171,356f1 8 Claims.

Our invention relates generally tota vacuum type' prosthesis or articial limb', and more particularly to a valve for'installation in the socket thereof;

The valve disclosed asa preferred' embodiment of our inventionhas been found'especially advantageous for use in artificial legstted to limbs amputated above the knee, although its `use is not limited to this application.`

Asuction type artificial leg has a socket of such dimension as to create'an air space or pocket between'lthefend` portion'or stump of "the natural limb' and the distal endof` the' socket. This pocketiis exhausted'` sufficiently to create a partial va'cuum' which'holdstheleg#iirmly in placewhen' thefstump is' raised bythe-wearer. However, `certain 'diii'culties are caused-1 by the shift ing of the stump within the. socket' during. the walkingcycle.` When the bodyweight isapplied tothe artificial leg,` the. stump tends to; move downwardly in the'socket, and :as the weight is shifted. to Ythe other leg and the artificial leg 'is swung forwardly; the` stump tendstoreturn un wardly; The amount'ofrelative movement be-` tween the stump and socket 'may be as much as 3/4 and cannot be eliininatedrbecause of the compression and deformation of the stump tissue. The resul-tA is a pumping action which tends to compress the air between rthe stump and the dis tal endof the socket. Heretofore, a` spring leaded L,

relieifvalvehas-been placed inthe lower end of thesocket to allow a portion of thisair to escape andlmaintain a-suiiicient vacuum to keepthe leg in place when itis again lifted.-

The use of the prior types of socket valves to keep. a sustained vacuum in the socket is mechanically sulicient, but has many physical disadvanta/ges. Numerous tests have shown that a sustained Vacuumin the socket is a cause-of edema or nerve irritation after several hours ci use. A sustainedvacuum also causes'leg odors due to' stale air, perspiration, excess heat, and skin' infection. The constant' vacuum pull is fatiguing" to the' wearer, making it necessary to frequently remove' the leg for recuperation and rest.' Furthermore, valvesofthe previous types have' restricted' exhaust openings which cause them to 'emit a loud, unsocial noise when operatmg.

Itis4 thereforeamajor object of our invention to provide a valve for a vacuum' prosthesis-that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages; and increases the comfort of the -wearer by the application of a new principle' of valve control by vwhich a'vacuumis maintained onlywhen the 2 leg' is lifted, and` at all 'other times` the. socket may be open to the. atmosphere.

Another object of our invention' is to provide a partial exchange'of'the .residual socket air',1thus materially reducing' the foul socket odors; per'- spiration, excessheat, andtendency to cause in fection.

It is also an obiiect'offour invention to 'provide a socket valve'having" an intermittent' action which stimulates' and massages 'thelimb stump.l

A further obj ectof our invention' is to provide a socket'valve'havingfa large exhaust' opening and exit passageways for Aquiet'-operation;

Still 'another object'ofourinventionis to pro-` vide a valve having adjustment means' which adapt the valve frvoperation'under'varying' per senal characteristics' such as weight,l activity, rapidity of walk, and nature of vocation. `Also;` the adjustmentmeanscompensate for varying physical ldimensionsfisuch-'asrthei'girth andzlength of' therstump.

An additional vobject 1"of i'ourinvention is `to pro+ vide a'. Valve fh'ousing havingV a large internal opening, and i a' pivotal'ly` mounted: valve carrier that can be swunguoutwardly'tofallowcremoval of the stocking usediover1 the stump when attaching; and inserting samerinto the prosthesis, with the valve carrierbeingA an integralpart of the assembly sothatitisinotdropped or displaced during.- the operation.`

These and other objects` and advantages of'our invention will become: apparentfromthe following, detailed descriptionl of a preferred form thereof, and from an inspection of the accom-,-` panying drawings,` in 1which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation ofaprosthesisshowing our valve installedtherein, with the valve carrier. horizontally disposed;

Fig.2l.is aview,taken/substantially along the line 2,-2 lof Fig.. 1 showing the valve carrier in an open position;

Eigis a front elevation of, the complete valve assembly;

Fig. 4`is a cross section taken along the line 4L-4`of`Fig. 3'; and

Fig. 5 is a partial section taken along the' line 5-5 of`Fig. 3. showing the valve disk in the open position;

Referring' now to' the drawings; and particularly'to'Figrthereof; thenumeral l indicates generally the" upper portion or socket'memberof a vacuum type articial leg'adaptedito' t over a limb stump HonA the body;` of the wearer.` A valve assembly I2* embodying our invention is mounted' in` the' wall of' the socket member |53 and communicates with the interior, being preferably mounted on the front below the end of the stump II, and slightly towards the inner side of the leg. The valve I2 thus directly controls the air pressure within the pocket or space between the distal end of the socket I@ and stump I I.

The valve assembly has a body member or housing I4 formed as an annular ring of relatively hard material. On the exterior of the housing I4 are longitudinal serrations or ridges I5 spaced entirely around the periphery. The serrations I5 may be formed on a knurling machine and are preferably terminated short of the inner end of the housing I4 which has a short chamfered pilot portion I6 to aid in entering the socket member I0. As is best seen in Fig. 2, the serrations I5 are adapted to be pressed into the wall of an opening I1 cut in the socket member I8 so as to hold the housing I4 flush with the exterior surface of the member. The socket member I is typically of wood or composition material, and the housing I4 may be sealed tightly in place by a suitable cement. By the use of the straight knurling or serrations I and chamfer I6, the l housing I4 is easily engaged in the socket member I0, and may, if necessary, be removed without damage to the socket material.

The interior of the housing I4 denes a large cylindrical passageway I8 which extends through to the pocket or air space within the socket I0. At the bottom or inner end of the housing I4 is an internal ilange I9 which forms an outwardly facing valve seat 20. Outwardly of the seat is a valve disk 22 mounted on a central stem 23. The disk 22 overlaps the seat 20 and is adapted to close the interior of the socket I0 to the atmosphere.

The valve disk 22 is slidably mounted on the valve stem 23 and floats freely thereon so that it can easily be raised from the valve seat 20. The inner portion of the valve stem 23 has a head 24 which limits the inward movement of the disk 22, and the outer portion of the stem 23 is formed as an enlarged adjustment screw 25 which limits the outward movement of the disk. The screw 25 is located along the axis of the housing I4 and is threadedly engaged with a transverse carrier or support extending across the passageway I8. On the outer face of the screw 25 is a suitable adjustment means such as a wrench socket 26 for moving the screw relative to the carrier 30 and along the axis of the housing I4. Y

The valve disk 22 is preferably of a lightweight, exible material such as synthetic rubber which is highly resistant to body excretions. When the disk 22 is closed against the seat 20 it seals tightly, closing the passageway I8. When the disk 22 is raised as shown in Fig. 5 it opens the interior of the socket I0 through a relatively large annular port 21. The desired operating clearance between the seat 20 and disk 22 of the port 21 is controlled by the adjustment of the screw 25, thus varying the rapidity with which the valve disk 22 may open and close. Because of the large valve opening and the free ow path provided for the escaping air, the operation of the valve is quiet and overcomes one of the major disadvantages of prior socket valves.

The carrier or support 30 extends diametrically across the housing I4 to support the valve disk 22 and stem 23. The carrier 30 is pivotally mounted on the rim of the housing I4 and swings the valve disk 22 from a position adjacent the seat 20 outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. When the carrier 30 is swung outwardly the entire area of the passageway I8 is clear for a purpose as will later be explained. The carrier 3D is of elongated rectangular shape and is tted into guide slots 3| and 32 located diametrically across the housing I4 and of suicient depth to substantially contain the carrier. The guide slot 3| forms a mounting for the pivotal end of the carrier 30, while the opposite slot 32 forms a catch into which the free end of the carrier is locked.

Near the pivot end of the carrier 30 is a transverse bore 33 through which a ring 35 is passed to rotatably connect the carrier with the housing I4. Extending around the interior rim of the housing I4 is a groove 36, as may best be seen in Figs. 3 and 5. The groove 3S holds the ring 35 which is formed of spring wire or the like, and has a small open sector so that it can be conveniently snapped into place or removed. One side of the ring 35 passes through the bore 33 to provide a hinge means about which the carrier 30 pivots, while the other side forms a detent to lock the carrier into alignment with the housing I4. As is best seen in Fig. 3, the outer ends of the bore 33 are enlarged at 34 to allow clearanceY for the radius of curvature of the ring 35 Which must conform to the groove 36.

The outer or free end of the carrier 30 has a curved undercut portion 31 which extends upwardly to a V notch 38 adapted to receive the ring 35. The notch 38 is of slightly smaller radius than the ring 35, and forms a snap fit so that when the ring 35 has passed into the notch it is held firmly therein. Above the notch 38, the carrier 30 is extended outwardly to form a tapered projection 39 which can easily be grasped by the lingers when it is desired to open the carrier. It should also be noted that although the carrier 30 is positively mounted on the housing I4, it can easily be disengaged for cleaning purposes by removal ofthe ring 35.

The purpose in having the carrier 30 pivotally removable from the passageway I8 is to facilitate fitting of the socket I0 over the stump II. Because the socket member Ill must be closely tted to the stump I I, the wearer experiences diiculty when inserting the stump into the socket of the prosthesis and generally uses a silk stocking or the like to relieve the friction. After the stump II is in place, the stocking may be withdrawn through the passageway I8. The carrier 30 is,

`of course, swung out of the way during this operation. It is not essential that the carrier 30 be positively engaged with the housing I4, but it is highly desirable because of the danger of its beingdropped or misplaced during the operation. As can be understood, the simple motion of stooping to the floor is a very diicult one for a man equipped with an articial leg. The housing I4 is preferably mounted so that the carrier is horizontally disposed and opens outwardly away from the inside of the leg. This is desirable since the stocking is usually pulled outwardly and downwardly. n

The operation of the valve is extremely simple. After the stump has been inserted into the prosthesis and the stocking removed as previously described, the carrier 3E] is snapped into the closed position. This places the valve disk 22 in ad jacent relationship to the valve seat 20. The

forming an outwardly faced valve seat, the outer rim of said housing having diametrically spaced guide slots formed therein; a circular resilient ring mounted in said housing groove and extending across said guide slots; an elongated carrier tted within said guide slots and spanning said passageway, one end of said carrier being pivotally journaled on said ring by a transverse bore having enlarged end portions to ac commodate the curvature of said ring, and the other end of said carrier being recessed to engage in a snap-fit with said ring, whereby said carrier maybe quickly swung into or out of said passageway; a central stem supported by said carrier and having an enlarged inner head and an outer threaded portion engaged in said carrier for adjustment therewith; and a flexible valve disk slidable on said stem and adapted to close against said valve seat when the pressure within said socket is reduced, and to remain normally open forming an annular port, the size of said port Vbeing determined by the adjustment of said stem.

5. A valve for a section prosthesis which includes: an annular housing adapted to be mounted in the socket wall of said prosthesis in an opening communicating with the interior of said socket by engagement of longitudinal serrations spaced around said housing, said housing having an axial passageway withI a peripheral groove in the wall thereof, and an inner flange forming an outwardly faced valve seat, the outer rim of said housing having diametrically spaced guide slots formed therein; a circular spring wire ring mounted in said housing groove and extending across said guide slots; an elongated carrier tted within said guide slots and spanning said passageway, one end of said carrier being pivotally journaled o n said ring by a transverse bore having enlarged end portions to accommodate the curvature of said ring, and the other end of said carrier being recessed to engage in a snap-t with said ring, whereby said carrier may be quickly swung into or out of said passageway; a central stem supported by said carrier and having an enlarged inner head and an outer threaded portion engaged in said carrier for adjustment therewith.; and a valve disk of resilient material loosely mounted on said stern and slidable from said head to said threaded portion, said disk being of a diameter less than said passageway and large enough to close rmly on said valve seat, said disk remaining normally open to Vform an annular port, the size of said port being determined by the adjustment of said stern.

6. In a limb prosthesis having a socket toreceive a stump, and said socket being of such 'dimensions as to provide an air pocket between Vthe distal end thereof and said stump, a valve to control the pressure within said air pocket comprising: an annular housing having longitudinal serrations spaced around the exterior thereof and diametrically Vspaced guide slots formed in the outer rim, thfe interior of said housing defining an axial passageway having a peripheral groove in the wall thereof and an inner ange forming an outwardly facing valve seat; a circular spring wire ring mounted in said housing groove and extending across said guide slots; an elongated carrier tted within said guide slots and spanning said passageway, one end of said carrier being pivotally journaled on said ring by a transverse bore having enlarged end portions to accommodate the curvature of said ring, and the other end of said carrier being recessed to engage in a snap-fit with said ring, whereby said carrier 'may be quickly swung into or out of said passageway; a central stem supported by said carrier and having an enlarged inner head and an outer threaded portion engaged in said carrier for adjustment therewith; and a valve diskA of resilient material looselyf mounted on said stem and slidable from Said head to said threaded portion, said disk being of a diameter less than said passageway and large enough to close rmly on said valveseat, said disk remaining normally open to form an annular port, the size of said port being determined by the adjustment Yof said stem.

7. A valve of the class described which includes: a housing having a passageway therethrough; a oating valve member within said housing; and a carrier pivotally mounted onV said housing and supporting said valve member, said carrier swinging free of said housing to provide a full opening through said passageway, and being normally closed to hold said valve member in an operable position.

8. In a valve of the class described: avalve carrier for supporting a valve member, said carrier having a bearing at one end thereof, and a recessed catch at the opposite end; and a snap ring passing through said bearing to hinge said carrier for outward swinging, and adapted to snap lock with said catch at the opening end of said carrier.

JOHN WILLIAM WHITE. JOHN J. VOLLMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

